Generac Grid Services, part of Generac Power Systems, has been selected for negotiations by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to receive a $50 million grant to install whole-home energy solutions in homes across Massachusetts.
The funds are part of the federal Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, which seeks to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change.
The DOE grant is being used to exhibit how efficient building electrification is possible while minimizing system overloads, reliability issues, and the need for infrastructure upgrades. The first battery deployments are expected to begin in late 2024 or early 2025.
“We’d like to thank the DOE for this opportunity and look forward to working with the state and our partners to lead the evolution to more resilient, efficient and sustainable energy solutions for the residents of Massachusetts,” said Aaron Jagdfeld, president and chief executive officer of Generac.
The project will demonstrate Generac’s capacity to integrate multiple energy technologies to support residents, while providing valuable grid services to benefit both the grid and the residents. Generac systems being deployed include behind-the-meter WiFi thermostats and batteries, which can also be used in combination to optimize the use of electric heat pumps.
Generac will utilize its advanced Concerto technology to aggregate and manage the energy assets as a virtual power plant (VPP).
Generac is partnering with these Massachusetts and national organizations to execute the program:
- Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)
- Fraunhofer USA, Building Energy Systems
- Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD) and the energy efficiency program administrators
Generac is also collaborating with the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center and utilities across the state.
Generac says this project will engage local community leaders to bring benefits such as increased resiliency and job opportunities. The plan is to “develop a replicable model that can be scaled to communities across the country.”
Along with providing reliability and economic benefits, the project will support Massachusetts’ decarbonization and GHG reduction goals.
Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, the GRIP program leverages federal, state and private investments to ensure that communities across the nation have a reliable grid that is prepared for extreme weather while also delivering affordable, clean energy and creating robust local opportunities for economic investment and jobs.
The state of Massachusetts, electric utilities and energy efficiency program managers in the state will play a critical role in this project by providing incentives for electric heat pump installations through the MassSaves program.
— Solar Builder magazine
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